Electric switch.



G. W. HART.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLIUATION FILED Mus, 1909.

Patented NW2, 1999.

narran enanas iearnnfr enten.

GERALD W. HART, GF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNR T THE HARTMANUFACTURDIG COMPANY, 0F NEW JERSEY.

TFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CQRPOBIATION 0F ELECTRIC SWITCH.

esseci.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, i909.

Application tiled May 5, 1909. Serial No. 499.51%.

My invention relates to improvements in' electric switches, and moreparticularly to double throw switches such as are used for controllinglights in closets and the like, the switch being thrown so as to closethe circuit when the door is opened and so as to break the circuit whenthe door is closed.

rThe purpose of my invention is to provide novel means whereby lessaccuracy will be required in installing the switch, and no injury will'be done if, on account of warping or shrinking of the woodwork, therelations of the switch and the door become slightly changed in thecourse of time.

l-leretol'rore, many switches have been injured because the actuatingmember had to be thrown to its eXtreme position in order to release the'swit arm, the result being that if the switch were not installedexactly in a given position, o'r the door were not so related as tothrow the actuating member exactly the predetermined amount, either theswitch arm could not be thrown, or the'nrens# sure on the switchmechanism after the switch arm was thrown wouldxbe so great as to injurethe switch mechanism. lumy device, provide means whereby there is lostmotion, .permittin v the actuating member to be moved quite a 'ttlebeyond the end of its necessary stroke without producing any result, theswitch arm having been released before the actuating member reaches itsgreatest possible throw. Y

Theollowing is a description ot a switch apparatus embodying myinvention, reter ence being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation of the actuating parts of the switchembodying my invention. Figl 2 isa ont elevation of the,

parts. Fig. 3 ows'a plan view of the actuating member, the switch armand the connecting spring in operative relations. Fi 4 shows a side andend eievation .of the sliding detent, and, 5 is a side elevation of theswitch arm.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A is the support for theactuating mechanism adapted to be mounted on a suitable base.

B is the actuatin member of the switch mounted on the sha A carried bythe support. To the actuating member a push-button C is pivoted. Thesupport lhas a pin D and the actuating member has a pln E,- againstwhich bear the ends of a retracting spring F.

yThe actuating member is shown in Fig. '1 in the position in which it iswhen the button C is pressed and the spring F tends to' return it andraise the button C, and will do so whenever it is released by theopening of the door or the like. The actuating 'member B also carries apin G, the rounded portion of which lies within an opening H in asliding detent l, this sliding detent having a boss J lying within aslot K in the support A, and having two arms L which embrace the shaft Acarried by the support A and on which the actuating member is mounted.

, A movement of the actuating member while its pin G is in the lowerpart of the slot H causes the sliding detent to move forward and back.`When the actuating member is moved so that its pin is in the portion Hof the slot, a movement of the actuating member does not produce anymovement of the sliding detent, `since this ortion H is' thenconcentric, or substantial y concentric, with the axis of revolution ofthe actuating member. e

Mounted upon the'shat carried by the support is a switch arm M carry-in,contact surfaces N and a pin or lug O. ounted upon the hub of the switchmember is a spring P, whose ends embrace the outer end of the pin G andalso the pin 0 so as to connect the actuating member and. the switch armtogether witha yielding spring connection, operative '-in bothdirections. The switch arm has stop-shoulders Q-Q,, with which a pin R,carried bythe sliding datent l, engages and disengages so as to restrainthe switch arm until .the spring P is put under tension, and thenrelease it so that it will 'be driven by.said spring so as to maire andbreak the circuit with a uick snapfaction. y

The-operation of the' evicc is a's 'ollowsz =`With the parts shown as inFig. l, the door o the closet is sup osed to be closed. When the door isopene the spring F, which is stronger than the spring P, moves thebutton ating member around so that the pin G is moved to the bottom ofthe slot H, a circulaiI slot in the support A permitting such movement.The first movement of the actuating .member results in a slight forwardmovement of the slide I, moving the pin 'R into the path of thestop-shoulder Q, thus restraining the movement of the switch arm M. Afurther movement. of .the actuating member vwith its pin G puts thesprin P under tension and nally moves the sli e I backward so that thepin R is withdrawn from the path of the stop-shoulder Q. The spring Pbeing then under tension throws the switch arm M around so as to makecontact with the circuit terminals M, completing the circuit.

When the door is closed, the push-button C is pushed down into theposition shown in Fig. 1. This rotates the actuating member and movesthe pin G within the slot H. The

first movement causes the slide I lto move forward until the' in R liesin the* path of the stop-shoulderts, A further movement puts the springI) under tension, and a further movement withdraws the slide I so thatthe pin R is removed from the path of the.

stop-shoulder Q. This permits the spring P to throw the switch-arm Mupward to its extreme position, thus breaking the circuit. If the partsare installed so that at any time the throw of the push-button C is notexactly that which is necessary to release the switcharm M, but issomewhat greater, the pin G travels in the concentric portion H of theslot in the slide I without producing any movement of the slide. Theexcess movement of the push-button C therefore does not lin anyway'injure or strain the switch mechanism, or result in other damage.

The lower portion of' the slot H in the slide I is never concentric withthe axis of revolution of the actuating member and is showri aspresenting a convex surface to the axis of the actuating member, therebyresulting in a quicker movement thereof 1nto and out of the path of thestop-shoulders Q-Q on the switch-arm, it being advantageous to have themovement quick at that time and immaterial how slow the movement isafter suiiicient engagement has once been made.

The rear end M2 of the switch arm engages the support at the end of thethrow in either direction and acts as a stop to limit the movement ofthe switch arm.

The mechanism o erates with certainty and precision'and t e danger ofdamage above referred to is eliminated.

What I claim is:

1. In a switch, the combination of a support, an actuating member, aswitch arm,- said actuating member and switch arm being mounted upon thesame axis on said support, a spring connecting said actuating member andswitch arm, a sliding detent member normally restraining said switcharm, one of said members having an opening and the other a pin'travelingin said opening, said opening having` an idle portion concentric with,and an active portion not concentric with the axis df said actuatingmember, the concentric portion being an end portion of the opening, saidpin traveling in both portions.

Q.. In a switch, the combination of a support, an actuating member, aswitch arm, said actuating member and switch arm being mounted upon thesame axis on said support, a spring' connecting saidv actuating memberand switch arm, a sliding detent member normally restraining said switcharm, said detent member having an opening, said opening having an idleportion concentric with and an active portion not concentric with theaxis of said actuating member, said actuating member having a pintraveling in said opening.

3. In a switch, the combination of a support, an actuating member, aswitch arm, saidactuating member and switch arm being mounted upon thesame axis on said support, a spring connecting said actuating member.and switch arm, a sliding detent member normally restraining said switcharm, one of said members having an opening and the other a pin travelingin said opening, said opening having an idle portion concentric with andan active portion not concentric with the axis of said actuating member,.a push button for moving said actuating member in one direction, and aretracting spring for said actuating member.

4. In a switch, the combination of a support, an actuating member, aswitch arm,

M. H. GLYNN, J. T. CLARKE.

